Mike's Birthday

We celebrated Mike's birthday last Wednesday with a roast dinner - beef, gravy, Yorkshire puds ( a reminder of his home) roast and baked potatoes and veggies.
We had a sort of Eton mess pudding.

It was his first birthday as a Daddy and Martha gave him a card saying "Daddy, you are the best" along with truffles which had instructions to be shared with mummy and a baby book all about love that was to be read to her...all carefully chosen ; she is a very advanced baby!

He also got a Cox's Pippin apple tree for the new house and a couple of other bits including a DVD which we watched while eating his birthday cake - a giant fondant fancy. We always fight over the pink ones so this time we didn't need to argue!

Happy Birthday MD - have a great year!!!

She smiles...

Martha has been smiling for over a week now and has started to laugh
too at toys and things that amuse her that we are not aware of...fun to watch!

The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society

Am thoroughly enjoying reading this one-off book (as the author has died) It put me off at first as it's all in letter form but I have persevered and it's worth it.
It is set in London and Guernsey in wartime and it's a gentle tale (although some of the war details are horrific of course) but the main character Juliet is witty and quirky.

Filey & Flamborough

This weekend we went to stay with Mike's parents in Yorkshire. It was Martha's first stay away from home and she was pretty good although I was tired jumping up to her all night to ensure we didn't wake others!
We took a trip to Filey and Flamborough Head. The weather was lovely when we got there and yet it was raining in lots of surrounding places. I loved Filey - had probably been there as a child but didn't remember it at all. Such a stunning coastline ...we hope to go back.



Flamborough, I didn't see so much of as Martha was feeding but it's another place we want to return to.



We also took Martha to visit her Great Grandpa in Lancashire - they both seemed quite taken with each other.

Four Generations

While there we watched Roger Federer win Wimbledon which was pretty exciting.

The rest of the time in Yorkshire we mooched around in the garden and the summer house.

Visit to Oxford

We visited Mike's aunt & uncle, D&C and had a relaxing time in their hot tub with Mike's cousin. Martha slept while we chatted - I was tired and it was hugely restorative. It reminded us of our fab trip to Canada and the few days we spent on the Sunshine Coast.
Think I might be a step nearer persuading Mike that we need a tub for medicinal purposes!

A fun afternoon

My friend Ali came from Bournemouth to visit Martha and as she is a photographer, she did Martha's first photo shoot!
It was an exciting day, so exciting that Martha hardly woke up -
Ali captured her with her eyes open just for a few moments.

Mike and I with a sleeping Martha Kitty

Mummy and Martha!

We had tea and cake and the boys went off for a walk and to see the other house
while Ali and I had a chat and took more photos.
It was so lovely to see them as we hadn't been together since
Christmas 2007 - way too long.
It seems a long way back when Ali, Abi and I spent Friday evenings
together in Sutton - happy days!

Come back and see us soon, Ali & John !

She is here!!

Rather earlier than anticipated our darling daughter arrived!

Martha Kitty was born on Sunday 24th May at 3.10pm
and we are very thankful that all is well with her.

She weighed in at 7lbs and 8 oz

Sitting on Daddy's knee and looking a little squished!

On Friday 22nd I went for a fairly routine appointment at the hospital and was told that my blood pressure had rocketed and that I had pre-eclampsia and would be induced. I asked "when?" they said "now" and I was whisked up to the labour ward! (I'd been about to head off to the supermarket to get ingredients for lasagne for dinner!)
Mike arrived with the hospital bags and my acupuncturist came too and the induction began that evening. By Saturday lunchtime my contractions were regular. The consultant decided on an epidural and a third pessary - I was realising by this time that they were expecting to do a caesarean section so I was trying to prepare myself mentally for this.
Late Saturday night they put the epidural in - it was fascinating to have this and so funny to have dead legs! The contractions slowed a bit which is often the case after epidural. I was 3 cms dilated. We went through the night, I slept, Mike was having to find staff all the time (it was mega busy that weekend) either to top up the drip or increase the anaesthetic dose as I could feel contractions through the epidural and while they were very bearable I knew I shouldn't be feeling them so it was a long night for him.
On Sunday afternoon they came to check on me...I could feel the suggestion of a c-section in the air but fantastically I was fully dilated and they said they wanted the baby out right then which was a big surprise to us! They used a kiwi cup (new style ventouse) although with hindsight said they needn't have used this as with 3 pushes she was out and held up to us - it was so fast in the end!
So nothing went to plan! My hopes for a home birth had been dashed a few weeks before, so my compromise was a water birth in hospital but with the complications that wasn't an option. Had someone told me beforehand that I would be rushed in early, induced with pessaries, given an epidural, that it would take nearly 2 days I would have been terrified but it was a wonderful experience - all of it. There were ups and downs of course but it was the most amazing experience of my life and that moment when you are handed your baby is utterly thrilling.

Last week - wearing a hat that is way too big for her!

Praise God for our wonderful little daughter.